Here is the opening few paragraphs of Chapter 2, The Pursuit Of God, that will help set the tone for discussion.
The Blessedness of Possessing Nothing
Before the Lord God made man upon the earth, He first prepared for him a world of useful and pleasant things for his sustenance and delight. In the Genesis account of the creation these are simply “things.” They were made for man’s use. but they were meant always to be external to the man and subservient to him. In the deep heart of the man was a shrine where none but God was worthy to come. Within him was God; without, a thousand gifts which God had showered upon him.
But sin has introduced complications and has made those very gifts of God a potential source of ruin to the soul.
Our woes began when God was forced out of His central shrine and things were allowed to enter. Within the human heart things have taken over. Men have now by nature no peace within their hearts, for God is crowned there no longer, but there in the moral dusk, stubborn and aggressive usurpers fight among themselves for the first place on the throne.
This is not a mere metaphor, but an accurate analysis of our real spiritual trouble. There is within the human heart a tough, fibrous root of fallen life whose nature is to possess, always to possess. It covers things with a deep and fierce passion. The pronouns my and mine look innocent enough in print, but their constant and universal use is significant...........Things have become necessary to us........God’s gifts now take the place of God, and the whole course of nature is upset by the monstrous substitution.
Discussion
We Were Created for God, Not For Things
- Sin Turns God’s Gifts Into God’s Rivals
Question - What does it mean to be “Poor in Spirit?”Freedom Comes Through Surrender, Not Necessarily Loss
- Abraham Shows Us What Surender Looks Like
Question - As you examine Abraham’s life, where do you see God teaching him to surrender? How did Abraham grow in his willingness to trust God?
Question - What does surrender to God look like for Christians today? Where do you see the need for surrender in your own life?Dethroning Our “Things” Requires Deliberate Action
- “The Christian who is alive enough to know himself even slightly will recognize the symptoms of this possession malady and will grieve to find them in his own heart.” pg 35
Question - What are practical steps to dethroning things that get in the way of your pursuit of GOd?
Question - What can you learn from others in the Bible who had to take steps to surrender?